While not an official turkey term, "regular
turkey" is the term I use to
describe a turkey that is not injected, self-basting, kosher, or in
any way enhanced. A regular turkey contain just two things: turkey
and water.

The
label on a regular turkey may include the phrase, "Contains up to X%
retained water" as shown in Photos 1-2 Do not confuse this with a
self-basting turkey. Retained water is water that is absorbed and
retained by the skin and meat as a result of washing and water-immersion
chilling during processing. The USDA requires that poultry producers
prove that the retained water is an unavoidable consequence of the
process used to meet food safety requirements and that they list the
actual or maximum percentage of retained water on the label.

Young

According to USDA regulations, a "young" turkey is a turkey of either
sex that is less than 8 months old at the time of slaughter. Most
turkeys reach market maturity at 4-5 months of age.

Hen vs.
Tom

Turkeys
weighing 8-16 pounds are usually female hens, while larger birds are
male toms. Since supermarket turkeys are slaughtered at a young
age—under 28 weeks old—both hens and toms are about the same in terms of
taste, juiciness, and tenderness. Buy a turkey based on weight and don't
worry about sex.

Natural

Natural turkeys
may not contain artificial flavorings, coloring
ingredients, chemical preservatives, or other synthetic ingredients.
They must also be minimally processed, meaning they have only been
handled as necessary to slaughter, clean, and make them ready for
human consumption. Look for the words
"natural", "minimally processed", and "no
artificial ingredients" on the
label.

Oddly
enough, a natural turkey
may contain a solution of water, salt, and
other natural flavorings to enhance tenderness and juiciness.
Natural does not mean "not injected" or "not self-basted" or "not
enhanced". If you're looking for a turkey that has not been injected
or enhanced, read the label carefully to make sure salt, natural
flavorings, or other ingredients are not listed. A statement such as,
"Contains up to X% retained water" is fine; that's just the result of
washing and chilling the bird in cold water during processing.

Commodity
Turkey

Commodity turkey describes those birds raised by large regional and
national producers in high volume using modern agricultural methods, in
accordance with USDA guidelines. This is your basic supermarket turkey
that is tasty, safe, and inexpensive.

Free-Range

Free-range or free-roaming turkeys are produced by a growing
number of regional producers that offer their birds as a higher quality, better
tasting, and more humane alternative to commodity turkey. According to
the USDA, turkeys must have access to the outdoors in order to be called free-range.

Producers like Norbest
say that their free-range birds have unrestricted access to the outdoors
and "may roam freely outside in the fresh air and sunshine, but still
have access to shelter, fresh water, and nutritious feed." This means
the birds have the ability to go outside if they want to, but it
doesn't mean they actually did.

Free-range turkeys command a higher price due to the inefficiencies of
the process, including problems with disease and predator control.

Organic

Organic
turkeys are free-range birds that have not been treated with hormones or
antibiotics, and were fed pesticide-free feed. Look for the "USDA
Organic" symbol on the package. This turkey will cost even more than a
free-range bird.

Heritage

Heritage or heirloom turkeys are unusual breeds that were once quite
common in America, but fell out of favor as growers concentrated on
the specially bred, big-breasted birds preferred by consumers.
Heritage varieties include Narragansett, American Bronze, Jersey
Buff, and Bourbon Red.

Producers like Diestel say that their heritage turkeys are
free-range and organic. "Being range grown in the Sierra Nevada
Foothills, our Heirloom Turkeys enjoy the large open pens covered in
grass and shaded by large oak and pine trees. The deep well water
complements their vegetarian diet of certified organic corn and soy,
free of animal by-products, GMOs, antibiotics, growth enhancers and
hormones. Bringing back these bronze birds provides our customers
with the 'best of both worlds'—old world history, flavor and beauty
in combination with a wonderful yield of meat and that great
old-fashioned turkey flavor."

Heritage turkeys tend to have less breast meat and are stronger in
flavor than commodity turkeys, but may also contain less fat and
water, too. This turkey is the most expensive of all and is found in
limited numbers at
high-end supermarkets and butcher shops.

Photo 3

Photo 4

Self-Basting

Self-basting turkey (Photos 3-4) is injected with a solution to improve
the flavor and juiciness of the meat. Some manufacturers inject only the
breast meat, while others inject the entire bird. The package label must
carry the phrase "basted" or "self-basted" and must list the quantity
and common name of the ingredients used in the solution. Look for the
phrase, "Contains up to 7% of a solution to enhance juiciness and
tenderness..." on the label. The net weight of the turkey includes the
weight added by the solution.

Kosher

Kosher turkey is raised and processed in accordance with Jewish religious law
and is clearly labeled as kosher. These turkeys are hand-slaughtered
rather than killed by machine, and the carcass is buried in salt for about an
hour and rinsed to
remove blood and impurities before packaging, in what amounts to a short
brining process.

Fully-CookedFully-cooked turkey is a whole turkey that has been pre-cooked and
frozen by the processor. After thawing, it can be reheated or served
cold. These turkeys sometimes come in a variety of flavors, like baked,
honey-roasted, and smoked.

Fresh,
Refrigerated & Frozen"Fresh"
and "frozen" are defined by the USDA as follows:

"The
term 'fresh' may only be placed on raw poultry that has
never been below 26°F. Poultry held at 0°F or below must be
labeled 'frozen' or 'previously frozen.' No specific
labeling is required on poultry between 0 and 26°F.

"...the
term 'fresh' should not be used on the labeling of raw poultry
products that have been chilled to the point they are hard to the
touch."

So in the
context of turkey, "fresh" has to do only with the temperature
at which it's been maintained from the time it was processed until the
time you bought it at the store. It has nothing to do with how long it's
been sitting in the display case at the store.

The USDA
does not define the term "refrigerated", but producers like Norbest
use it to denote turkeys that are handled at temperatures between 0-26°F.

White
Meat & Dark Meat

Myoglobin is
a protein that stores oxygen in muscle cells. This
substance is primarily responsible for the color of meat, and the more
myoglobin in the muscle cells, the darker the color of the meat. Turkeys
and chickens have lower levels of myoglobin in their muscle cells than
cattle, which accounts for the lighter color of poultry compared to
beef.

Within an
individual animal, the amount of myoglobin varies depending on the muscle
group in question. Muscles that work the hardest contain the most
myoglobin, and as a result are darker in color compared to muscles that
don't get much exercise. In a turkey, which basically
just stands or walks around all day, the legs and thighs get the most exercise and
are therefore dark meat; the wings and breasts, white meat.

Inspection
& Grading

All turkeys sold
in retail stores in the U.S. are inspected for wholesomeness by either the
USDA or a state agency using equivalent standards.

Grading is
voluntary and takes into account meatiness, appearance, and freedom from
defects. Grade A is the highest quality grade and is the only grade you
are likely to find at retail stores. The USDA describes Grade A
turkey as being "virtually free from defects such as bruises,
discolorations, and feathers." It should have no broken bones, no
tears in the skin, good fat coverage under the skin, and plenty of meat on
the bones.

Hormones,
Antibiotics & Additives

According to
the USDA, hormones are not approved for use in the production of turkey in
the U.S.

Antibiotics
can be administered to turkeys to prevent disease and increase feed
efficiency. However, a withdrawal period is required to allow
these substances to leave the turkey before it is slaughtered,
ensuring there are no residues in the meat.

The USDA
does not allow the use of additives in fresh turkey. If turkey is
processed, additives like salt, MSG, or other substances must be listed on the
label.

Food
Safety, Product Dating & Freezer Life

Frozen
turkey should be stored at 0°F or below. Fresh or refrigerated turkey
should be stored below 40°F.

The USDA
does not require product dating on turkeys, but some producers provide it
on a voluntary basis.

Turkeys should be purchased before the
"sell-by" date.

Fresh turkeys should be cooked or frozen
before the "use-by" date.

Frozen turkey is safe indefinitely from a
food safety standpoint; however, quality begins to suffer after
12 months.

Turkey
should be cooked within 1-2 days of thawing. Keep turkey refrigerated until at least
two hours before barbecuing. Make sure to wash
your hands, counters, cutting boards, knives, utensils, and anything else
that comes into contact with raw turkey using hot, soapy water or a
bleach solution. Avoid cross-contamination by not letting raw turkey,
turkey juices, or your hands come into contact with foods that will be eaten raw.

USDA
guidelines state that bacteria found in turkey are destroyed by cooking
to 160°F or higher. These include salmonella, staphylococcus
aureus, campylobacter jejuni, and listeria monocytogenes.

How Much
Turkey Should I Buy?

When buying
whole turkey, figure 3/4 pound per person for a generous serving with no
leftovers, or 1 to 1-1/2 pounds per person with leftovers. For a bone-in
breast only, figure 3/4 pound per person.

Choosing
A Turkey For Barbecue

Fresh,
Refrigerated, Or Frozen?

Fresh or refrigerated turkey is convenient because it does not
require thawing. On the other hand, frozen turkey can be purchased when prices are low,
stored for a long time, and barbecued at your convenience.

Some people
think fresh or refrigerated turkey tastes better than frozen, while others
believe that frozen is actually "fresher" since the birds are
flash-frozen immediately after slaughter. I don't think most people can
tell the difference. You'll have to judge these claims for yourself.

Regular,
Self-Basting, Or Kosher?

If you intend to
flavor brine or
salt the turkey, choose a
fresh or frozen regular turkey that has not been injected with a solution of
water, salt, and other flavorings. This turkey will be a "blank
canvas" on which you can apply whatever flavors you like. Read the
fine print on the label—you do not want a turkey that says, "Contains up to X% of a solution
to enhance juiciness and tenderness..."

If you won't be flavor brining or salting, buy a self-basted or kosher turkey.
These turkeys are essentially already brined—just
apply your favorite rub and barbecue.

How
Big Of A Turkey Will Fit In The WSM?

You can
cook almost any size turkey you like in the 18.5" or 22.5" WSM, as long as you use a
vertical roasting stand on the bottom cooking grate. According to
Kevin Kolman,
Weber's Grill Master and blogger, the largest turkey that will fit in
the 18.5" WSM is 25-30 pounds, and for the 22.5" WSM, 35-40 pounds. "It
has to do with how round the turkey is, not the height," says Kevin.

The biggest turkey I've ever
seen cooked in the 18.5" WSM was a 28.5 pound bird cooked vertically on a large
pineapple juice can. Kevin says he's cooked a 40 pound beer can turkey
in the 22.5" WSM!

And what
about the 14.5" WSM? You'd be hard-pressed to fit a whole turkey in the
little guy, even vertically on the bottom grate, but you can certainly
smoke turkey parts, a bone-in breast, or boneless skinless breasts with
ease.

My
preference is to
cook 12-14 pound turkeys breast-side up on the top cooking grate of the Weber
Bullet. They are easy to handle, cook quickly, and always turn out
moist. Cook's
Illustrated magazine says, "We find that the larger the bird, the higher
the likelihood that it will be overcooked. With its delicate breast
meat and tougher legs, a turkey is already hard to cook. But if the
bird weighs 22 pounds, it's very difficult to get the meat close to
the bone cooked through without causing the outer layers to dry
out." Cook's
recommendation: Instead of cooking one large turkey, cook two turkeys weighing 12-15 pounds
each.

Will The WSM Hold Two Turkeys?

Photo 5

Photo 6

Yes, two 12-14 pound turkeys will fit in the
18.5" or 22.5" WSM, one on each
cooking grate. The distance between the top and bottom grates is 7.5"
in the 18.5" WSM and 9" in the 22.5" WSM, so purchase birds that are broad and flat. You may want to
take a ruler or measuring tape to the grocery store...better safe than
sorry.

You may want to place a foil
pan under the turkey on the top grate to keep the drippings from fouling up
the pretty skin on the turkey below (Photo 6).

It doesn't take a lot more
time to cook two turkeys than just one, perhaps 30 minutes at most. However,
in order to maintain 325-350°F in the cooker, start with more lit
fuel than you would for a single turkey.

When cooking a turkey on the bottom grate, make sure it fits within the circumference
of the water pan to prevent burning the meat.

Thawing
Turkey

Never thaw
a frozen turkey on the kitchen counter at room temperature. Instead, use
one of these safe methods to thaw a frozen turkey still in its unopened
package:

Place breast-side up on a
rimmed baking sheet pan in the refrigerator. Allow 1 day of thawing for every 4-5 pounds of turkey.

Fully
submerge in cold water in a large container placed in the
refrigerator. This accelerates thawing compared to the method
described above. Thanks to Konrad Haskins for sharing this method with
TVWB.

Fully
submerge in cold water in the kitchen sink or in a large container. Let sit 30 minutes, then drain
and replace the water. Repeat until thawed, approximately 30 minutes
per pound of turkey.

Thawed turkey
should be cooked within 1-2 days.

Prepping
Turkey

Remove
and discard the leg truss.

Cut off
any large areas of fat at the cavity opening.

Remove the
neck and giblets from the turkey. The neck is usually found in the
body cavity and the giblet packet is found in the neck cavity. Reserve
these for gravy or discard.

Rinse
the turkey under cool running water and pat dry inside and out with
paper towels.

Flavor
brine or salt the turkey (optional). See next section for more information.

For neat
appearance, tuck the wing tips behind the back and pin the neck skin to
the back using toothpicks or short skewers.

If using a
vertical roasting stand, you may want to leave the neck skin loose so heat
can flow up through the body cavity.

Apply
rub to the turkey (optional).

Allow
the turkey to sit at room temperature while firing up your cooker or up to 1 hour.

Flavor
Brining & Salting

Let's
be honest, regular turkey doesn't have much taste and it tends to dry-out even
if slightly overcooked. The self-basting turkey is the industry's
response to these problems.

If
you're looking for an alternative to a self-baster, consider
flavor
brining or salting a regular turkey . Flavor brining is a
process in which a regular turkey is soaked in a solution containing salt, sugar
and other ingredients for several hours to enhance flavor and moisture
throughout the entire bird. It provides a cushion of moisture even
if you slightly overcook the meat. Salting is a different process in which
a regular
turkey is rubbed inside and out with salt, allowed to sit for a period
of time to absorb some of the salt, and then rinse—no soaking in a
solution in required.

Many people have brined
self-basting turkeys and have reported good results. If you want to brine a
turkey, I usually recommend that you buy a regular turkey that is not
self-basting so you have complete control over the flavor and moisture you're
added to the meat. However, if you can't find a regular turkey at your
supermarket, try brining a self-basting turkey. I've done one myself and it turned out well—see Whole Turkey - Brined Butterball Self-Basting for details.

Don't
Stuff The Bird

Sunset Magazine says, "A stuffed turkey may be traditional, but it carries a
slightly higher risk of incubating harmful bacteria than an unstuffed one;
moist dressing in a warm cavity is bacteria's ideal growth environment.
You can avoid this problem by cooking the bird and the stuffing
separately. Another advantage of separation is that both cook more evenly
and quickly."

If you
insist on stuffing the turkey, cook the bird at 325-350°F. According to
Sunset, harmful bacteria are killed after 3 minutes at 140°F and instantly
at 160°F. "Check the temperature in the center
of the dressing; if the stuffing hasn't met either of these guidelines,
scoop it from the bird into a casserole and bake, covered, until it
achieves the right temperature."

One trick is to preheat
the stuffing in the microwave to 120-130°F. Wrap loosely in
cheesecloth and stuff the package into the cavity. Remove the package
immediately after cooking and serve.

Basting

There are two schools of thought
when it comes to turkey basting. Many people
believe basting is essential for beautiful, tasty skin. Others believe
it's a waste of time and energy, it interrupts the cooking process, and it doesn't add anything to the skin.
Alton Brown of Good Eats on Food Network is famous for saying, "Basting
is evil." He suggests that since skin is waterproof, the flavor and
moisture of the basting liquid will not penetrate the skin, and so much
heat escapes during basting that cooking time is extended, which can
result in dry meat.

Should you
baste? Yes, if you want to, or if a recipe suggests it. Just remember that
every time you open the cooker, you lose heat and extend the cooking time
a bit. If you're cooking a self-basting turkey, however, it may not be
necessary. When I cook a whole turkey, I just brush the skin with vegetable oil or melted
butter before putting it in the WSM and that's it.

Vertical
Vs. Horizontal Cooking

I prefer to cook a turkey on the top cooking grate, breast side up,
just like in the oven. I have used a vertical roasting stand on the bottom cooking
grate, but this method has several problems. If you put water in the water
pan, then the breasts cook faster than the legs/thighs because the cooker
is hotter at the level of the breasts. If you use
an empty water pan (my preferred method for poultry), the radiant heat coming off
the empty pan cooks the legs/thighs faster than the breasts. This is why I
gave up on vertical roasting and now smoke turkeys horizontally on the grate.

Really big turkeys will
only fit vertically on the bottom grate. If using a vertical stand, put
some water in the pan to protect the legs/thighs, and place foil over the
breasts/wings at some point to keep them from
overcooking.

When
cooking a turkey on the bottom grate, make sure it fits
within the circumference of the water pan to prevent burning the
meat.

Cooker
Temperature

Turkey is
naturally tender and does not benefit from "low and slow"
cooking the way a tough old brisket does. I've cooked turkeys from 225°F
all the way up to 350°F and I'm convinced that 325-350°F is the way to go.
This temperature gets the fat under the skin hot enough so that it sautés
the skin. At lower temps, the fat just renders out without crisping
anything, and the result is rubbery skin.

Another
benefit of cooking at 325-350°F is that the turkey will cook as quickly as if
you did it in the oven. Don't worry, the turkey will have plenty of time
to pick up whatever smoke flavor you choose to impart to it.

If you
insist on cooking at a traditional barbecue temp of 225-250°F, Butterball
says that to
assure food safety the turkey must reach an internal temperature of 140°
within the first 4 hours of cooking. A turkey weighing 12-15 pounds should
be fine, but a turkey over this weight should either be cooked at 325-350°
or flavor brined in a solution that includes a curing agent like Morton
Tender Quick to slow the growth of bacteria.

Why gamble?
Just smoke that turkey at 325-350°F. You'll be glad you did.

To achieve a
temperature of 325-350°F, you'll have to cook with an empty water pan. Methods for
running the Weber Bullet at 325-350°F can be found on the Firing
Up Your Weber Bullet page.

Where To
Measure Internal Meat Temperature

Internal
temperature should be measured in the deepest part of the breast and
thigh. Measuring in the thigh can be tricky, so I will often use a probe thermometer to measure in the
breast from the front of the turkey, parallel to the breast bone. When the breast gets into the 160-165°F range, I will probe both breasts in a couple of different locations and average the readings, then I will also probe the thigh in several spots and average those readings. Remember, a probe thermometer only measures temperature in one spot, so don't trust it
completely—it may give a false low reading. Probe in several different spots to confirm your turkey is properly cooked.

Take a look at the estimated
cooking times below and begin paying attention to internal temp 30-60 minutes before the low end of the estimated time range. Double-check
the temperature by either inserting the probe thermometer in several locations
in the breast or by using another instant-read thermometer in addition to
the probe thermometer.

Ignore
The Pop-Up Timer

If your
turkey comes with a pop-up timer, do not rely on it to determine
doneness. These spring-loaded devices
pop
at 178-180°F. At this temperature the dark meat is thoroughly
cooked, but the white meat is overcooked. You're better off using a
probe thermometer or an instant-read thermometer to check for doneness.
You can leave the pop-up timer in the bird or remove it before
cooking—it doesn't matter.

Cooking Times & Temperatures

The biggest mistake people make when it comes to turkey is that they overcook it. In the old days, cookbooks told us to cook turkey to 185°F in the deepest part of the thigh. For many years, the USDA told us that that turkey should be cooked to 170°F in the breast and 180°F in the thigh. Unfortunately, these temps resulted in dry, overcooked turkey.

Nowadays:

The USDA recommends 165°F in the thigh, wing, and thickest part of the breast.

Cook's
Illustrated magazine says turkey should be cooked to
165°F in the breast and 170-175°F in the thigh.

I like the texture and moisture level of turkey that's barbecued to 160-165°F in the breast, 170-175°F in the thigh—and to the low end of those ranges,
if possible. With a 20-30 minute rest after cooking, the internal temp of a 160°F turkey breast may rise about 5°F to 165°F. For a brined bird, you can cook the thigh up to 180°F without worrying about drying out the breast.

If 160°F doesn't seem safe to you, remember that when it comes to food safe turkey, it's all about temperature and time. Based on USDA data, turkey that's cooked to 160°F and held at that temerature for at least 26 seconds will have a 7.0 log10 relative reduction in bacteria. In other words, only 1 in 10,000,000 Salmonella bacteria will survive at that cooking temperature and time. Even at López-Alt's preferred breast temp of 145°F, a turkey only has to be held at that temperature for just under 11 minutes to achieve this same level of food safety.

The chart
below provides approximate cooking times for turkey cooked at
325°F. Remember, every turkey is unique and may cook faster than expected. Start checking for doneness 30-60 minutes before the low end of the time range.

Turkey Weight

Hours Cooked
at 325°F

10-12
lbs.

2-1/2 to 3 hours

12-14
lbs.*

3 to 3-1/2 hours

14-18 lbs.

3-1/2
to 4 hours

18-20 lbs.

4 to 4-1/2 hours

20-24 lbs.

4-1/2 to 5 hours

* 12-14 lbs. is preferred for use in the WSM.

For
a 12-14 pound turkey, figure about 15 minutes/pound at
325*F.

Start checking for doneness at least 30 minutes
before the low end of the time range.

Allow more time and use more fuel on cold, windy days or
at high altitude.

Resting
Period After Cooking

After
cooking, tip the turkey slightly to drain any juices from inside the
cavity. Transfer to a rimmed baking sheet pan and let rest for
20-30 minutes before carving. Do not tent or cover the turkey with foil as
this will make the skin soft.

During the
resting period, residual heat will cause the internal temp of the turkey
to rise 5-10°F, and juices driven to the surface and center of the
meat will redistribute and reabsorb into the meat. If you
skip the resting period, a lot of the juices will end up on the cutting
board during carving and not in the meat.

Holding A Turkey At Temperature Before Carving

You can hold a finished turkey at temperature for 90-120 minutes by
wrapping it tightly in several layers of wide, heavy
duty aluminum foil and placing it breast-side down in an empty cooler.
Of course, this will result in soft turkey skin.

Carving

This video
demonstrates the process of carving turkey that is described below.

There are
many methods for carving a turkey, some of which you can explore using the
links at the end of this article. Here's the
method that works best for me:

Remove
the legs/thighs.

Pull
the leg away from the body and cut at the joint.

Separate
the drumstick from the thigh by cutting through the joint.

Hold
the drumstick at an angle and cut slices parallel to the bone.

Slice
meat from the thigh parallel to the bone.

Remove
the wings.

Cut
at the joint.

Reserve
for use as decoration on the serving platter.

Remove
the breast meat.

Make
a long, deep horizontal cut along the bottom of the breast,
starting at the wing joint.

Cut vertically down
the side of the breast bone, keeping the knife close to the
wishbone and ribcage to remove as much meat as possible. The
breast will come off in a single, large piece.

Many of the challenges faced when smoking a turkey in the WSM are the
same as when roasting a turkey in the oven, and the solutions are the same,
too. Here are some tips for solving common turkey problems.

Turkey Is Still Frozen Solid

Keep turkey in its
unopened packaging. Fully
submerge in cold water in the kitchen sink or in a large container. Let sit 30 minutes, then drain
and replace the water. Repeat until thawed, approximately 30 minutes
per pound of turkey.

Turkey Is Thawed Outside, But Frozen In The Cavity

Rinse
inside the neck and body cavity with warm water several times until
thawed.

Dry,
Overcooked Turkey

Sprinkle
meat with hot chicken broth. Season
the skin and meat generously with salt and pepper before serving. Have
lots of piping-hot gravy and moist side dishes available, including mashed potatoes
and cranberry sauce.

Undercooked/Bloody Thigh
Joint

When
cooking a whole turkey to 160-165°F in the breast, it's common for the
drumstick to reach 170-175°F, but not the thigh. If the thigh joint
appears bloody or the meat undercooked, cut the drumsticks from the
thighs and place the thighs in a baking dish. Bake at 450°F for 10-15
minutes or microwave at 100% for 1-3 minutes until no longer red.

Dark
Skin

A flavor brine or rub containing sugar can cause skin to appear very
dark, even burned, especially if cooked at 325-350°F. Rinse a
sugar-brined turkey and use a sugarless rub.

Browning can be controlled by loosely tenting the breast and drumsticks with aluminum foil at either the beginning or end of the cooking
process. Vinegar-soaked cheesecloth placed over the turkey also controls
browning.

Soft,
Rubbery Skin

This can happen when turkey is cooked in the "low & slow"
225-250°F range, especially if the turkey has been flavor brined. Cook at
325-350°F instead. Air-drying a brined turkey for a few hours in the
refrigerator may also help. Follow the steps described in the
All About Brining
topic.

More
Guests That You Were Expecting

Buy an
extra boneless turkey breast, just in case. Roast in the oven for 45
minutes, slice, and serve with the rest of the turkey.

Is Pink Meat Safe To Eat?

Pink turkey
meat is safe to eat as long as you check the internal meat temperature
with an instant-read thermometer and it measures 160-165°F in the breast
and 170-175°F in the thigh. Pinking can be the result of many factors:

Chemical
reactions between myoglobin in the meat and smoke and combustion gases
in the cooker produce the pink "smoke ring" around the
outside of cooked meat. Younger turkeys have thinner skin and less fat
under the skin, permitting more smoke and gases to interact with the
meat.

Cytochrome
c, a component of hemo-protein in turkey meat, does not lose its
pink color until it reaches a temperature above 212°F.

Nitrites
in flavor brines and rubs produce pinking in meat, similar to cured ham. Morton Tender Quick is a common ingredient used in flavor brines
that contains nitrites. Nitrates and nitrites can also occur naturally
in the water and food supply of turkeys, leading to nitrite levels in
the bird itself.

Collecting Pan
Drippings For Gravy

Photo 7

Photo 8

There are three common ways to collect pan drippings when smoking a
turkey:

Cook the
turkey in a shallow, disposable foil pan.

Cook the
turkey on the top cooking grate. Place an empty foil pan on the bottom
grate to catch the drippings.

Cook the
turkey on the top cooking grate. Line the water pan with wide, heavy duty aluminum foil, but suspend the foil 1-1/2" above
the bottom of the pan so it does not touch (Photo 7). This prevents the drippings from burning.

Assuming
you don't over-smoke the turkey, the
drippings will be perfect for making gravy—in fact, they're already
seasoned by any rub applied to the turkey.

As you remove the turkey from the cooker, pour
any accumulated juices
inside the body cavity into the pan. You can also use the juices
left in the bottom of arimmed baking sheet pan after letting the turkey rest before
carving.

You'll typically end up with about 1-1/2 cups of drippings (Photo 8).

If you don't
have any drippings, make a delicious
turkey
giblet gravy using the
giblets, aromatic vegetables, chicken stock, white wine, and seasonings.

Storing
Leftovers

Leftover
turkey should be carved from the bone and refrigerated or frozen as soon
as possible.

If
refrigerating, use shallow storage containers so the meat cools
quickly. Refrigerated leftovers should be eaten within 3-4 days.

If
freezing, wrap in heavy-duty aluminum foil and place in a Ziploc
freezer bag. Frozen leftovers are best if eaten within two months.

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